N.C. Marine charged in fatal shooting of fellow Marine

A Camp Lejeune Marine is being held without bond after a Friday night disturbance led to a fatal shooting.

Lance Cpl. Marcus Bo Hunt, 19, of Carmen Avenue, was charged by the Jacksonville Police Department with an open count of murder in the shooting death of Randall Buford, 21.

Both men were Marines stationed aboard Camp Lejeune.

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At approximately 9:45 p.m., officers were dispatched to the Liberty Crossing Apartments in reference to an unknown disturbance, according to information from JPD.

While officers were en route, it was reported that shots were fired at the disturbance. Upon arrival, one subject was found dead with an apparent gunshot wound to the head.

A joint investigation conducted by detectives of the Jacksonville Police Department and agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service led to Hunt’s arrest.

Liz Stumpf, 22, a resident of Liberty Crossing Apartments, said she and her boyfriend were eating dinner around 9:30 p.m. and heard a gunshot.

“At first I thought maybe it was someone drunk screwing around with a gun or fireworks or something like that. Then we heard another one within five minutes ... Within a couple minutes everyone was outside ... and they were rushing to an apartment,” she said, explaining that multiple law enforcement officers and ambulances were present.

Stumpf said she didn’t think anyone was hurt initially.

“We thought no one was hurt because the ambulances left and they weren’t in a hurry or anything. Then I read the article this morning or this afternoon and someone got shot,” she said.

Stumpf said law enforcement officials were present in the area until after she went to bed around 1:30 a.m.

“It’s pretty surreal though, to know that I heard someone get killed,” she said.

Ron Nicholson, a resident at the apartment complex, was watching TV when he heard two loud booms.

“At first I thought it was a firecracker, and when I looked outside my window I didn’t see anything,” Nicholson said.

Nicholson said that shortly after he heard the second gun shot fired, the parking lot was flooded with responding JPD vehicles and ambulances.

“The ambulances came and left pretty quickly,” he said. “I didn’t see anyone get carried out or anything so I thought that no one was hurt.”

Nicholson said he has only seen law enforcement in the complex a couple times while living there.

“I’ve lived here for seven years and I’ve never seen anything like this happen here,” he said.

Neighbors of Hunt’s said that Hunt and Buford appeared to be good friends and both were very friendly and good guys.

“They were both nice guys,” said a resident who asked not to be identified. “We heard them arguing when it took a turn for the worse. They were just friends who got into a bad dispute. It shocked us all.”